A short story that I wrote for English. I wrote it in three different perspectives, starting with second person.

Submitted: April 10, 2017

AAA
|
AAA

Icomment enabled

Content

Submitted: April 10, 2017

AAA

AAA

Icomment on

SECOND PERSONYou are exploring an empty house with your best friend. Some people have spread rumors that the house is
haunted, and you want to see if it's true. Your best friend feels a little leery about exploring dark, empty houses, but you drag her along anyway. She doesn't protest verbally, because she is your
best friend, but you can see the misgivings in her eyes.

You poke around the house: in the closets, in the cabinets, under the beds, even behind the shower curtains.
Your friend stands behind you, looking fearfully behind her every few minutes. Then, as you walk over the living room rug, you hear a squeaking noise. You walk back over the rug again; the noise
repeats. You yank the rug away, creating a cloud of dust that sets you and your friend coughing violently. When the dust settles, you walk back over the spot, trying to find the squeaky area.
Suddenly, without warning, you plunge through the floor, causing your friend to give a piercing scream. Then she looks down into the gaping hole, calling, "Are you all right?"

You yell back, "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I found a tunnel. Come on down and let's check it out." She hesitates
for a few seconds, then lowers herself down into the hole, feeling around for solid footing with her toes. You grab her waist to help her the rest of the way down. The two of you stand back to
back, trying to adjust to the darkness. Then you remember that you have a small flashlight in your back pocket that you always keep handy. Grinning to yourself, you click it on, startling your
friend. Then you both stare in amazement as the darkness seems to stretch on forever in front of you.

"Oh my goodness, it's a tunnel!" you say. "Come on, let's go!" You start forward eagerly, leaving your friend
behind. Not wanting to be left alone in the darkness, she scurries to catch up with you, gasping, "I hope we don't find anything bad here." You shrug, not knowing what else to do or say. As the two
of you walk, spiderwebs brush against your heads and shoulders, freaking out your friend yet again.

Finally you come to a door. It is an old metal door that looks like it has been there for years. There is a
handle with a rusted lock on it. You break the lock, to the consternation of your friend, and ease the door open slowly. The look on your face causes your friend to crowd you out of the way so she
can see. A fully furnished room comes into sight, and you wonder nervously if you are trespassing on private property.You step into the room, then start to laugh. It is the basement of your own
house! As you and your friend laugh at the hilarious situation, you muse to yourself how you had never explored what was behind that door before.

THIRD PERSONMatthew and his friend Jamie went to explore an empty house, about which there were rumors that it was
haunted. Matthew wanted to see if the rumors were true; Jamie only went along because she was his best friend. In her opinion, dark, empty, abandoned houses should stay undisturbed. Matthew saw the
fear in her eyes, but chose to ignore it. "After all," he reasoned, "what could be wrong with it anyway? It's been abandoned for years."

Pushing open the rotted door, Matthew and Jamie entered the house. Matthew poked around with a stick into the
closets, in the cabinets, under beds, and even behind shower curtains. Jamie stayed close behind him, looking fearfully over her shoulder every once in a while. Finding nothing, Matthew walked back
through the living room, disappointed that he had found nothing. As he crossed from the hall toward the front door, he heard a squeaking noise beneath his feet. Yanking away the huge rug, he walked
across the whole length of the area where the rug had been. Suddenly the floor dropped away and Matthew disappeared through the opening. Jamie screamed, "Matthew!!" She bent over the gaping hole,
trying to see him. "Are you all right?"

"Sure, I'm fine. I think I found a tunnel," he called back cheerfully. "Come on down and let's look around.
This is way better than opening cabinets to get a faceful of dust." Jamie hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted to follow. But she made up her mind and started to lower herself down,
feeling around for a secure footing. Matthew grabbed her waist to help her the rest of the way down. They waited a moment to let their eyes adjust to the darkness. Matthew then remembered that he
had a small flashlight in his pocket; he turned it on, startling Jamie. She stared in amazement at the yawning blackness that seemed to stretch on for eternity in front of
them.

"What the heck, an awesome tunnel!" Matthew exclaimed. He hurried forward, eager to find out what adventure
it might hold. Jamie dashed after him, not wanting to be left alone in the darkness. Catching up, she gasped, "I hope we don't find anything bad in here." Matthew shrugged, not sure what to reply.
They walked for quite a while; Jamie shuddered as spiderwebs brushed against her head and shoulders. Matthew tried to ignore these, but he couldn't help admitting to himself that he was getting
leery too.

Finally, they came to a huge rusty metal door. "This thing looks like it's been here for ages," Matthew said
as he broke the lock on the handle. Jamie's eyes widened. "I hope that we're not breaking or trespassing on private property."

"You're a worrier," Matthew teased, but he knew in his heart that she was right. He eased the door open
slowly; then a shocked expression came over his face. Jamie crowded him to see. Before her eyes a room appeared: a fully furnished room. "Now I'm nervous," Matthew remarked ruefully as they quietly
stepped into the room. Getting a better look at the surroundings, Matthew suddenly burst into laughter. "This is my basement!" he chuckled. As Jamie joined him, he couldn't help wondering to
himself how he and his family had never noticed that door before. But now, he could find a use for it, maybe to start new adventures with Jamie. Nah, she probably wouldn't go along with it. Or
would she??

FIRST PERSONRumors had been going around town that the house at the end of our block was haunted. It was empty and abandoned for about 10 years, and I hadn't explored it. When I started hearing the rumors,
I became excited. After all, what 16-year-old boy who was bored out of his mind wouldn't want to explore a supposedly haunted house? I called my best friend, Jamie, and asked her to come along for
company. She was pretty reluctant to agree, arguing that an empty house should stay that way. But I eventually convinced her, and we went off to see if we could find out anything.

I poked around all over the house. I even looked behind shower curtains, just to make sure I got everything. Jamie just stood around, glancing over her shoulder occasionally as if she expected
someone to sneak up behind her. Shaking my head at her unnecessary worry, I continued searching around. It looked to be a fruitless endeavor, however. Disgustedly I headed for the front door,
noting Jamie's look of relief at our departure. As I crossed the living room floor, though, I heard a squeaking noise under my feet. I yanked it away, creating a huge cloud of dust that caused us
to both cough violently. "Nice job, there," Jamie choked out sarcastically. I detected in her words a double meaning; she was obviously not happy about my continuing to search. Paying no attention,
I walked back across the floor. Then, without warning, the floor fell out from beneath my feet, and I plunged to my death. Oh, that's not how the story goes? Okay. I landed on a pile of dirt
beneath the opening.

Jamie gave a piercing scream. "Matthew!!!!" She peeped over the edge of the opening, trying to see. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Come on down, I think I found a tunnel." I kicked around in the dirt to see if anything was there, but no luck. Jamie started to lower herself down, but she couldn't reach the floor. I
grabbed her waist and lifted her down the rest of the way. We stood there, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. I remembered a flashlight in my pocket and turned it on, startling Jamie.
I stared at the darkness that yawned in front of us, then dashed forward, calling, "What the heck, an awesome tunnel!" Jamie followed me, gasping "I hope we don't find anything bad!" I shrugged,
not knowing what else to do. We walked for quite a while until finally we came to a rusty metal door. I broke the lock on its handle, causing Jamie to exclaim, "We could be trespassing on private
property!"

"You're a sorrier," I teased as I slowly opened the door. But my bantering tone quickly ceased as I saw what was in the room. See my expression, Jamie shoved me out of the way to look too. We were
looking into a fully furnished room. "Now I'm worried," I said nervously. We stepped into the room together to get a better view. Then we both burst into laughter; it was the basement of my own
house! As we chuckled, I couldn't help wondering why we had never seen the door before. Why, I could use it to create more adventures. maybe Jamie would even join me. Nah, she's too much of a
fraidy-cat. But then again...

Nice to see the same story written in three different perspectives. I like to use different ones but haven't tried them out on one story. Which did you find the most enjoyable to write in? You made a great job of all of them!

AuthorReply

Comment | 45 words

Wed, April 12th, 2017 3:30pm

I think, even though it was a bit more difficult, that I enjoyed writing in second person perspective the best. It's different from first person, but it's still like you're experiencing the story from your own point of view.